Apparatus for continuously heat treating wire and the like



March 2, 1965 M. A. NYE ETAL 7 APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY HEAT TREATING WIRE AND THE LIKE Filed May 19, 1961 INVENTORS MNJRICE A.NYE 8 E58 C BI'ITMAN Y owumnhk w mag IIITORNEYS United States Patent Ofi ice 3,171,876 Patented Mar. 2, 1965 3,171,876 APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY HEAT TREATING WIRE AND THE LIKE Maurice A. Nye and Jess C. Bittman, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignors to The Vaughn Machinery Company,

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 19, 1961, Ser. No. 111,246

2 Claims. (Cl. 266-3) This invention relates to the continuous patenting of steel wire and, more particularly, to a novel apparatus for the accomplishment thereof.

Patenting is defined in the art as a heat treatment applied to steel wires and rods having a carbon content of 0.25 percent and higher to obtain a sorbitic structure having high tensile strength, ductility and the ability to withstand hard drafting. Patenting is generally conducted as a continuous process and consists in first heating the material considerably above its critical temperature, then cooling through the critical temperature at a comparatively rapid rate. The cooling step may be conducted in open air or by immersion of the wire into a lead bath. Thelead bath method has been generally preferred in the art for the reason that it is easier to control and thereby to produce definite grain structures in. the material. However, the use of a lead cooling bath has some disadvantages one of which being the necessity of providing a large quantity of molten lead. Further, the resulting lead coating on the wire may be objectionable for some purposes.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for the continuous patenting of steel wire at high speeds.

Another object is to provide such an apparatus wherein the patenting operation can be accomplished in a minimum of space and with a minimum of equipment.

A further object is to provide such an apparatus wherein the patenting steps can be accurately controlled with a minimum of variation of the properties of the patented wire.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of an apparatus according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlargement view showing the winding means, stationary take-up block, patenting furnace, and wire coil partially in section.

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the support plate for the bearing assembly of the drive shaft used with the winder.

In reference to the drawings, the wire 1 is removed from a coil 2 which is mounted on rack 3. The bar 4 rests in the position shown so that the wire may be removed from the coil one convolution at a time. Another coil identical to coil 2 may be mounted in the same manner side by side with coil 2 with its leading end of wire connected to the trailing end of wire from coil 2. Such an arrangement insures continuity of operation. The wire 1 may then be run through a scale breaker which comprises a series of small diameter sheaves 5; the wire is then run through a die box 6 for reduction to desired diameter. The wire is then run around sheaves 7 and 8 and through tensioning means which comprises a series of pinch rolls 9.

An air supply means comprising an air blower 10 operated by drive motor 11 drives cool air through housing 12. A cross section of the upper portion of the housing 12 is shown in FIG. 2. A hollow drive shaft 13 is driven by worm gear 14in mesh with worm wheel 15 which is keyed to the shaft. A suitable motor (not shown) rotates the worm gear 14. The drive shaft is journaled in the housing by bearing assemblies 16 and 17. A sheave 18 is mounted in a radial slot in shaft 13. A flyer arm 19 is also mounted on the shaft 13 and has a sheave 20 at its extremity. The wire 1 is introduced through the axial end of the shaft 13 and passes around sheaves 18 and 20. The shaft 13 rotates the flyer arm 19 and continuously winds the wire 1 on the hollow cylindrical stationary take-up block 21 which has a tapered push flange 22 thereon. The action of the push flange 22 is such that it continuously advances a helical coil of Wire that is formed around the block 21. A radially projecting portion 23 on the shaft 13 has journaled therein a rotating shaft equipped with a pair of identical planetary pinion gears 24 and 25. Pinion gear 24 meshes with and rotates around sun gear 26 which is attached against rotation to the housing 12. Planetary pinion gear 25 rotates around sun gear 27 which is attached to the block 21. This gearing system prevents rotation of the block 21 and is further described in detail in the U.S. applications of Nye, Serial No. 67,350, filed November 4, 1960, and Nye et al., Serial No. 75,965, filed December 15, 1960 now U.S. Patents 3,049,315 and 3,097,812 respectively. This planetary gearing system is only one way to insure against rotation of the block 21. Other methods will be described hereinafter. The air produced by the blower 10 will circulate through the upper part of the housing and through the hollow block 21 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2. The block 21 is equipped with a number of bars 28 fastened thereto and which extend axially from the periphery of block 21. As the helical coil of wire is produced, it advances horizontally along the block 21 and then along the bars 28.

A furnace 29 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as having its heating means 30 (which may be gas burners) surrounding the coil of wire adjacent the block 21. It is in this furnace 29 that the coil of wire is heated beyond its critical temperature, e.g., about 1750 F. The time of heating may be controlled either by the speed of winding (which controls the rate of advance of the helical coil) or by the axial length of the furnace heating means 30. A tube or sleeve of insulating material 31 is inserted inside the bars 28 in a snug fit (and thus inside the helical coil of wire). The tube of insulating material should extend from the block 21 to the end of the furnace 29; this will prevent the furnace from heating the cool air which is produced by the blower 10 and passes through the tube of insulating material 31. The portion of the coil emerging from the furnace 29 is at that point subjected to the cool air emerging from the tube of insulation material 31 on its interior, and its exterior is subject to cool ambient air. The bars 28 are curved downward at their ends to form a horn over which the coil of wire will continuously fall. As the coil rounds the born, the convolutions are gradually separated thus providing more surface area for the quenching action of the cooling air. The coil of wire falling from the horn is then collected on a suitable receptacle 32. If the bottom of the horn in weighted or held in place, the block assembly will be held against rotation and the planetary gear assembly described above may not be necessary.

In reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, to aid in supporting the extended bars 28 and the coil of wire accumulated thereon, the rotating shaft 13 extends from the block 21 to the support plate 33 (shown in elevation in FIG. 3). The support plate is in the shape of a four-armed spider or star which has ,its arms welded to the bars 2 8.. The inner races of bearing assembly 34 are tightly fit on the shaft 13, whereas the outer races are encased within-the sleeve 35 which isiconnected to the support plate 33. The structure o rlate 33 pe m s he cool n r 10 p s freely therearound.

This invention is very advantageous in that it coma bines the operation of coiling the wire with the operation of heating and cooling. Further, the apparatus of this invention (except for the blower) operates off a single drive means which materially reduces the equipment required and enables the patenting operation to be conducted in a very small space.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made. as regardslthe axially from the periphery of said block, winding means I adapted to wrap wire around said block along said flange.

such that a continuous helical ,coil of wire is produced and advanced along said block and said bars, a furnace. having heating means therein surrounding a portion of the length of said coil adjacent said flange, a tube of insulation interiorly of said coil supporting bars axially extending from said block to the end of said furnace, and air supply means operative to introduce coolair into the flange end of said block and force such'air through said tube of insulation and into contact with the portion of said coil extending beyond'said furnace. V

An appara u a c d q im 1 whe in said block and said bars are mounted horizontally with the extreme ends of said bars turning downward to form a horn over whichthe coil will continuously 'fall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Jan. 11, 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS PATENTING OF STEEL WIRE WHICH COMPRISES A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL STATIONARY TAKE-UP BLOCK HAVING A TAPERED PUSH FLANGE AT ONE END AND COIL SUPPORTING BARS AT THE OPPOSITE END EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BLOCK, WINDING MEANS ADAPTED TO WRAP WIRE AROUND SAID BLOCK ALONG SAID FLANGE SUCH THAT A CONTINUOUS HELICAL COIL OF WIRE IS PRODUCED AND ADVANCED ALONG SAID BLOCK AND SAID BARS, A FURNACE HAVING HEATING MEANS THEREIN SURROUNDING A PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID COIL ADJACENT SAID FLANGE, A TUBE OF INSULATION INTERIORLY OF SAID COIL SUPPORTING BARS AXIALLY EXTENDING FROM SAID BLOCK TO THE END OF SAID FURNACE, AND AIR SUPPLY MEANS OPERATIVE TO INTRODUCE COOL AIR INTO THE FLANGE END OF SAID BLOCK AND FORCE SUCH AIR THROUGH SAID TUBE OF INSULATION AND INTO CONTACT WITH THE PORTION OF SAID COIL EXTENDING BEYOND SAID FURNACE. 